Women empowerment is the need of the hour as well as a big challenge, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Thursday as she extended greetings on the International Women’s Day.

Mahajan, who spoke on the issue as the Lok Sabha met for the day, emphasised on the need to work together for all round development of women for positive change.

“If you consider man and woman as two wings of humanity, their empowerment is absolutely necessary for it to fly high,” she said.

According to her, women empowerment or strengthening women is the need of the hour as well as a big challenge before the world.

This year’s theme is ‘Time is now: Rural and Urban activists transforming women’s lives’, she noted. “If we all work for the all round development of women for positive change, then I am sure that India will shine in the global stage,” Mahajan said.